Well, another weekend has come and gone. The weekend seemed to disappear completely before it has started. I went down to Wollongong for the weekend. I hung around in Sydney for Friday night, we went out to an Ice Creamery for desert and then some of the crowd went to the movies. The majority saw Man on Fire. Didn’t seem like my cup of tea.
Saturday morning I watched virtually the finale of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. I did enjoy the bits of the Ceremony that I saw.
I then caught the train down to Wollongong. I deeply love this train trip. Saturday was really special, the train winds its way through the Royal National Park, and then comes out and skirts the coast. What really struck me as we travelled along the coast was how calm and placid the sea was and the colours were amazing. Unfortunately my camera was in Sydney, but it was inspiring.
It was night also to catch up with my old church family. We went round to these friends place, and played a game called Cranium, its kind of like trivial pursuit, but uses different manners of questions – you need to sculpt using play-do, do charades, hum particular songs. It was great fun.
My brother was also preaching at my old church over the weekend, it was his first sermon, so I stayed down there and went to church. It is an enormous blessing that even though I’ve been away for a while, I still feel part of that family. I treasure the relationships I have there, I love going back. It was a communion service as well, which was great, as I haven’t had communion in my new church. (in almost 18 months).
Heres’ my notes from the Sermon:
Sunday Aug 15, 2004 AD – OT Psalm 30 and NT James 1:19-27
We have a new birth, new destiny, we are kings
b/c we are kings we should act like kings. (v21; v27)
We have forgotten our destiny
James gives us advice to help us live like kings
Quick – to listen
Slow – to speak; slower to become angry
Though there is a righteous anger; our anger makes it harder to be righteous
We can, and must cast out the sin of our life – this is a life-long process
God’s word has been planted in our hearts
Both righteousness and evil can grow in our hearts – depends on what we nurture.
Tension - grace and works – God’s work and ours – James comes back to this.
Look at the Word; see how it applies; act, change in light of it
We need to put away; the rampant wickedness in our lives; and humble seek to live out our destiny.
We are Kings – we were made kings by Christ’s death. We are to ACT like it.
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Challenging words … and in God’s mercy, may they be fulfilled in all our lives.
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